Fumata Bianca
by sanctum-c
Summary: Agnès's activities after the end of Bravely Default and her first meeting with Magnolia Arch.


_Prompt provided by Raaj: the obstacles Agnès faced in becoming pope? (okay, kind of Bravely Second speculation there, but)_

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><p>Agnès allowed herself to grieve for a week and no longer. It was not as if Tiz was dead; he was in the Central Healing tower and still clung to life. In that panicked day after finding his unconscious body both Ringabel and Edea had impressed that fact upon her. She took some solace that Eternian medicine offered the best chance of saving the Norende shepherd. Agnès still wanted to go with him, watch over him but she could not abandon her other duties. Her vestalings still needed training. The crystals needed tending. And at present she was the only one in the world capable of assisting with either. As her week ended she settled on a comforting notion. She would not see Tiz for a while, as in fact she had not seen him with as much regularity as she desired. So; if she did not see Tiz when she went to Ancheim it would not be unusual.<p>

Neither would it be strange if she did not see him when she visited the Florem region. The difference would come after; where once she would see him before making the crossing to Eisenberg, this time she would not. And from Hartschild she would move onto Eternia and then her loop would take her back to Ancheim. Her week delay - well, if she did not carry on straight from Florem to Eisenberg it would disrupt the sequence. She needed to forgo her visit to Tiz. At least for now. Somehow it was easier to think of him being in Caldisla; somewhere she had no reason to visit at present. Better than dwelling on the fact that her visit to Eternia would bring her into the closest contact with him.

No. She could not think about Tiz right now. While the crystal Orthodoxy was all but gone, the role of a vestal was still paramount. She needed to train her successors. She needed to forge a lasting peace between the old modes of thought she represented and the new exemplified by Eternia. Her vestalings looked shocked when she exited her room at the end of the week. She had stopped crying, any hint of mourning gone. They had lost enough time and began training with a new intensity. Agnès guided the vestalings through meditative exercises and as, time wore on, how to assist as she prayed to each crystal. She watched them all with a careful eye, trying to pick out any affinities they exhibited. Where more than one showed crystal synchronicity she was careful to alternate their contributions.

Any vestaling who appeared to have no connection to the crystals found there was no difference in their treatment. Agnès remembered the angry whispers from others directed at the proto-vestals in the past. They received luxuries denied the others, the unfairness never quite registering before. Tradition had run the temple and they adhered to it without question. Now she did her best to remove the issue before it became problematic. All were necessary in the temples; cooks and guards were vital to welfare. Even the vestals needed help in dressing before approaching the crystals. No one was more significant than the others.

The vestalings, awed and in thrall to Agnès were not convinced right away. Agnès was so much more than most were or could hope to be. She minimized differences wherever she could, insisting on sleeping in the same communal area as her wards. Agnès even shared the same table and same meals; all needed to be equal in her new vision for the Orthodoxy. It still took time to wear down the perceived differences and they visited all four crystals many times before it did. Agnès wanted to laugh some days; where once she tried so hard to work alone now she refused to let her followers schism for any reason.

The world's reaction to her visits varied. Ancheim treated her like a celebrity though Agnès declined the hospitality with a polite but firm tone. She insisted on returning to the temple as soon as possible, thankful for her vestalings as they pointed her across the desert. Agnès resisted confessing how uncertain their arrival would have been had she been navigating. All helped to mend, clean and seal the temples after each visit, the thought of staying there becoming more and more palatable. The crystals were vital to the world and needed protection; no monster would infest the temple ever again.

Of the all the countries, Florem remained the least interested in her arrival. Agnès was almost glad for their skewed priorities; the less fuss about her visits the better. But the skeptical looks and wary stances made her rescue of orphans difficult; many did not trust her or what she represented. Eisenberg was the most happy to see her, all too willing to attribute greater importance to her in particular. In spite of her resistance, the region would be the first to champion her importance within the New Orthodoxy.

Agnès had visited Eternia many times; both in her new role and in the past when forced to fight to the Earth crystal. Here where anti-crystalism was still at its peak she felt the least safe. As much as Edea held sway over the population thanks to her position as Templar, the people's memories were long. The events that lead to Braev's coup were still known to many and now she was here as a walking reminder of that past. She had to be patient and show them the new way, separate the actions of her predecessors from the current. At least all knew of the rising mountains in the recent past and Agnès soon found their hearts were not as closed as she feared.

Despite her wish for equality, Agnès found herself speaking for the Orthodoxy more and more often. For the most part it was not a surprise. She was the most experienced, her actions vital given then the consequences for hampering her duty. But those who wished to talk with her wanted to separate her from the ranks, they wanted a way to refer and elevate to her above the others. Agnès was not sure when she first heard her role referred to as 'Pope' but it soon gained traction. Even the vestalings picked the word up and began using it.

Soon the world knew her as Pope Agnès. Attention became fixed on her, even as she appointed new vestals at each temple. The appointments raised a concern she had been trying to avoid for a while and before she continued she begged Edea to assist her in one task. The Templar, the Pope and her four chosen vestals together braved Yulyana Needleworks. Despite his help in the past, Agnès could not help but wish she had abandoned this part of the tradition. She tried to prepare her subordinates as best she could, but none were at ease in Yulyana's presence. The trip was less uncomfortable than expected; Sage was quieter now, subdued and somehow sad. The loss of DeRosso had hit him harder than he had let on.

It became clear that her appointment of new vestals was fortuitous timing. Requests for negotiations between the individual nations were now impossible to ignore. As Pope and frequent visitor, leaders began considering Agnès an impartial negotiator. Ancheim and Eisenberg often followed her suggested course of action without question. The stigmas and memories of Florem and Eternia - even with Edea's urging - remained problematic.

Agnès was so busy that it was only in moments between meetings and temple visits when she realized how long it had been since she had seen Tiz. She made a mental note to at least try and visit him when she was next in Eternia, though when the time came it almost broke her. Her mission, her role was vital. So much of the world looked up to her or argued against her. Edea bowed her head in shame as she related the news in halting speech. Tiz was missing from the Central Healing tower was not something Luxendarc as a whole considered important. Although Agnès wanted to give up on everything and seek him out herself she could not afford to. The world would not tolerate it. She must endure because the world did not trust itself to without her.

And so it was with a thrill of hope that she listened to what Magnolia Arch told her one night in the sleeping quarters. Why did the others not stir at the intruder's words? Why was every sound other than the stranger's voice somehow muted? Mystery surrounded Magnolia, even though there was something familiar about her. She spoke of those who took Tiz. Of where she would begin looking and how she would return him. And, with a glint in her eye, she related that she would be able to bring him back to full life, how Agnès could meet him once again. Without a second thought Agnès asked her to proceed, only wondering later just what the price might be. There was a shift in the air and noise flooded the room; the familiar night-time sounds loud after the eerie silence. Agnès listened to the gentle breathing of the vestalings and hoped she had put her faith in the right person.


End file.
